The Dual Natured
by Asille Nellum
Summary: The Vizard could not have been the only victims of Aizen's experiments. What happened to those the experiment didn't entirely work on? OC-centric, follows immediately after Turn Back the Pendulum
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So this is one of my fanfictions. Truly my first, but it is just an OC-centric story my sister and I came up with when we had one of those "Wouldn't it be cool if we had those powers? What kind would you want?" etc. Ah the OC, downfall of fans everywhere. This is written in the first person, for those of you who hate it. I think this character qualifies as a Mary Sue, to be frank, if only in that she is a "self-insertion" character. She is who I would want to be, and she reacts the way I would. But she isn't without her faults. I'm not sure what I will do with this story, as Amaya actually belongs to my sister, and she is writing the story in the present time, with Ichigo and the Vizard and all that jazz. I prefer to write beginnings, so I am writing this in the Turn Back the Pendulum period. Well, at the immediate end of that…

…

"I'm sorry. She's too far gone. I can't do anything."

I didn't move, didn't say anything. I just waited.

Capt – Ex-Captain Urahara gave me a puzzled look, then shook his head. "I mean it. With the others, we got to them in time to stop it before it got any farther. She's been completely subsumed by her hollow. You'll have to ki-"

"No."

He waited for something more, then sighed and turned away. "I know you don't want to accept it, but -"

"No. I won't kill her. And I won't let anyone else." He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. Before he could say anything else, I continued. "You have a plan for them, right?" I asked, tilting my head toward the pile of partially hollowfied people. He nodded reluctantly. "I know she's not yours, not like they are." He started to say something, but again I just continued talking. "But she's mine. You don't give up on yours; I don't give up on mine." I looked down at my right hand, and followed the glowing chains wrapped around it to a weakly thrashing form on the ground. The three sets of chains were wrapped around various parts of the feline-esque hollow, and they along with the two sets of six bars of golden light were the only thing keeping the monster from attacking everyone in sight. "You say she's gone. You say there's nothing left of Amaya in that…thing. But I saw her." I looked back at him, and shook my head, feeling the confusion that was displayed on his face. "Hollows don't have a problem with killing. You didn't see the bloody path left by – it, but it didn't kill. It could have, thirty times over, but it didn't. I saw her. I saw her eyes, just before it was about to attack me. She's in there, somewhere, and I won't give up on her. Are you going to take them to the world of the living?"

He blinked at me, trying to make sense of my ramblings. This time I was the one who sighed. "Are you going to take them to the real world?" He shook his head. Before I could say anything, he corrected himself.

"Yes. I have gigai made, enough for them and Tessai and myself." I blinked at the word "fake bodies," but this was Urahara-taichō I was talking to, and I accepted this without comment. "They will mask our reiatsu from the Detention squad, and will let us live in the real world." I looked questioningly at Captain Shihōin, and she gave me a little grin.

"I have other ways of hiding from my own people. Plus, no one really knows it was me who broke them out. I heard them shouting 'Catch him! He's a bandit!' So for now at least, I'm ok." I nodded, and turned back to Urahara. I looked over at the monster that had taken over Amaya.

"I can control her until you have a process. I don't care how long it takes, I won't give up on her." He raised an eyebrow at my first statement, but then I saw the memory of the kidō I had used to find this place, while holding her, surface, and he closed his mouth.

"Are you willing to leave the Gotei 13? Just like that?" This time I was the one who opened, then closed my mouth. For the first time, I was uncertain, and I stared down at my feet.

I won't leave you.

I lowered my head, hiding my eyes with my bangs. I knew from experience that if anyone saw my eyes right now, they would see that the right one had changed color, becoming dark red. I don't think they could. Even if they took away my Shinigami powers, I don't think they could ever separate us. I replied to Fue. As usual, her misty form appeared, only to me, beside me, away from Urahara and Shihōin. I raised one finger to Urahara, asking for a moment. I turned towards Fue, keeping hold of the golden chains. I don't think I could ever lose you, and I will fight to keep Amaya. You two are my only friends, almost like sisters. But… I put my hand to my forehead.

But we spent all that time, in the academy, training with the squads, fighting to get better, in order to protect people. I raised my head, grinning sheepishly at her.

As usual, you know precisely how I feel.

This time she grinned at me. Even if I don't always agree. But this time, I completely understand. What if there was a way for you to help Amaya, as well as fight Hollows? She lost her grin, as did I, and silence fell between us while we tried to find a solution. I could hear the two ex-captains making plans behind me, and a thought struck me.

What if I could get assigned to wherever they are going to be? She cocked her head at me.

Isn't there a time limit as to how long you can be assigned to the real world? I nodded, wondering where she was going with this. So who would hold her while you were in the Seireitei? I sighed, but my eyes were drawn to Tsukabishi. He had been the kidō captain before all this had fallen out, and that meant he was far above me in terms of power. At this point in time, he was meditating, and after glancing at Urahara and Shihōin, I walked over to him, the golden chains lengthening. I hesitated, not knowing how to politely get his attention, and Fue took over. I found myself outside my body, but after so many years with Fue, I just watched. The glow of the chains pulsed as Fue unconsciously poured more power into them, and I could see Tsukabishi tense, just a bit.

Fue was more comfortable with social interactions than me, and she just calmly bowed, hands crossed on her thighs. "Excuse me Tsukabishi -san." She waited, bowing, until he opened his eyes and acknowledged her. "Can I ask you something?" She straightened, and at his nod, said, "What do you know about long term kidō?" He cocked his head, and she elaborated. "Are there any bakudō that can hold someone for a long period of time, not necessarily with the caster focusing on the subject?" She waited, patiently, while he thought.

"I believe one is able to attach certain bakudō to an object, one filled with enough power to keep the kidō running." I blinked as a thought struck me. Fue, are zanpakutō "filled" with its spirit? She kept my head tilted down, as my eyes were odd-colored whenever we talked, and completely red when she was in control.

I believe you could say that.

So could I connect the spell directly to you? Not with you as the caster, like now, but like have you stay here and hold the spell? I could feel her thinking it over.

"Would the object have to be in the vicinity?" she asked Tsukabishi. "The object itself? Or just the power source?" He seemed confused.

"I suppose…just the power source." I could tell he was confused, but no one knew about the strange relationship between my zanpakutō and I, and I wanted to keep it that way. Fue bowed again, thanked him for his patience, and released control to me.

I walked over to Urahara, and waited for a lull in their conversation. I didn't really want to ask him this, as he was known for his powers of deduction, and I didn't want to give him too many clues, but I had no one else to ask. "I know this is a bad time, but Urahara-san, what do you know about zanpakutō spirits?" He gave me an undecipherable look, but replied, "I haven't done any personal research on them, but I have read about them some. What do you need to know?" I rubbed the back of my neck with my left hand, the chains of reiryoku still wrapped around my right, and tried to organize my thoughts.

"To achieve bankai, you have to be able to materialize your zanpakutō's spirit in the real world, right?" He nodded.

"Then subjugate it. Why?"

"That means that the spirit can exist outside our inner worlds?" I waited for his nod. "Have you ever heard of a spirit living outside for an extended amount of time?" This time he was the one who rubbed his head. I grinned a little, glad to see his mind off his current predicament.

"Theoretically, yes. I don't know of any cases..." I waited for more information, but when he was unforthcoming, I asked one more question. I was worried about this one, but I was counting on him forgetting about all of my questions when his mind returned to his escape.

"How far could they - the wielder and the zanpakutō spirit - be separated?"

He shrugged. "I have absolutely no idea. I can only imagine that both the wielder and the spirit would experience adverse effects the longer and farther apart they are. The distance and time would depend on the spiritual power and tolerance of pain...Really on the will of both the spirit and the wielder. Zanpakutō spirits are part of the wielder's spirit. They are not meant to exist apart."

I thanked him, and walked over to stand next to the bound form of my best friend. Do you think we can do it? This time Fue chose not to appear beside me.

For Amaya?

I nodded. It wouldn't be permanent. I would be able to hold her on my own when in the real world, as long as there aren't ungodly amounts of Hollows. You would only have to hold her when I have to report back to the Seireitei. Hopefully no one would notice any difference in my reiatsu, and I can't imagine I would have to release my zanpakutō while in the Soul Society… I waited for a response, but didn't pressure her as she thought it over. This wouldn't be hard on just me, it would involve both of us. But Amaya had been like a sister to both of us, even though she didn't really understand about Fue and I, and she was worth it.

I sensed movement behind me, and I turned to find Tsukabishi getting ready to perform a high level Kidō. It seemed they had forgotten about me and Hollow Amaya, so I walked over to Urahara to ask what was going on.

He blinked at me for a few moments, then said, "Tessai has to set up some high level barriers around this place. The modifications I have to perform on the gigai are going to be somewhat noticeable."

I'll do it. I refocused on Urahara, glad to have Fue's consent before all this went down. "After that, are you going to the real world?" He nodded, somewhat distracted.

"I know of an area, called District 3600, or Karakura Town. If everything goes according to my worst case scenario, Aizen will eventually try something. If he goes for the top, he will eventually have to find the jūreichi. For the next hundred years or so, this will be under Karakura Town. We will station ourselves there, and follow it if he doesn't make his move. We will need a livelihood, though…how about…yes! A store! That's perfect." At this point, he was muttering to himself. I let him ruminate on his plans for a few more minutes, then interrupted his train of thought.

"If we are going to be unable to leave between now and reaching the Human World, may I bring someone in?"

He stared at me, while I just waited for his answer. "You want to bring someone in on all of this?" He asked, waving his arms a little. I could understand his incredulity, but I calmly replied, "I haven't tried to rat you out. You are the only one I believe will save Amaya. I will trust this person with both my life and Amaya's. Is this enough for you?"

He stared at me for a few more minutes, trying to read my gaze. I simply looked back at him, willing to see the truth in my statement. He shook his head. "I can't believe I'm going to say this." He looked at the bound Hollow attached to me by chains of reiryoku. "But I can see you are willing to put everything on the line for her. I have to ask: Why do you need this person?"

I looked at Hollow Amaya as well, searching its reiatsu for signs of Amaya. I couldn't find anything but hints, tints, faint traces, the same as all the other times I had looked. I felt caught behind a rock and a hard place. On the one side, I had my best friend, my sister, someone who I had grown up with, fought with and against, who needed my help. On the other, the reason I could help her, the way I met her: my responsibility as a Shinigami. "I can't give up on her, I can't move on. But I am who I am because I want to protect those who can't protect themselves. I want to fight hollows. That's the reason I turned down joining the Onmitsukidō or the Kidō Corps. I _wanted_ to be a Shinigami, I _wanted_ to go to the Human World and to the Rukongai to fight Hollows. I can't _do_ that if I'm being hunted by the Punishment Force every time I leave your special gigai." I stopped, breathing hard. This was the most I had talked to someone ranked higher than me, the most passionately, and only a mental prodding from Fue made me go on. "This person, whom I trust with mine and Amaya's lives, and truly theirs," I said, waving toward the pile of semi-hollowfied Shinigami, "is the only way I can help both Amaya and the innocent." I felt the tantō strapped to my arm warm, and "felt" the hug Fue gave me. "She is the reason I could trap this thing, how I found you, how I got your attention. She is…a master of Kidō, and one of the few I think could hold this…demon." I was trying to convey my faith in Fue without revealing she was physically contained in my zanpakutō. I looked back at Urahara's face, and saw the nonplussed look on his face. I sighed. "I need her."

"Do you know if she would be willing?"

"Yes, she already – " I stopped, realizing my mistake. I continued, but I knew Urahara had noticed my hesitation. "We – me, Amaya, Fue – have talked about this before." I knew calling her by her name could be a mistake, but I would have to live with these people for a long time, and I didn't want to worry about slipping later on. "I must warn you, no matter your impression of her, she is trustworthy."

He stared at the ceiling of the underground training chamber. "What the hell," He sighed. "Bring her in."


	2. Chapter 2

I left the cavernous room, pulling Hollow Amaya with me. It was heavy, but I had transported her from the outskirts of Rukongai to this place on my own, and I wasn't about to give up now. I sat down on the ledge outside the training room, leaving a now motionless Hollow captive behind me. Ready? I asked Fue.

I think the bigger question is, are you ready? You are the one who has to manifest me.

I sat back on my hands, letting the sun shine on my face. I was sitting on a ledge, hidden by a large bush, right outside the entrance to Urahara's training ground. I had left the hollow in the entrance behind me, and from where I sat, I could look straight down into the Seireitei. I still can't believe they had the audacity to dig out the center of Sōkyoku Hill. I murmured to Fue, somewhat vaguely. I had expended a large amount of reiryoku, what with catching Hollow Amaya, locating Urahara's reiatsu before he masked it, then getting them to let me in, and I thought I was at the point where I didn't have to worry about anyone noticing my reiatsu in such a conspicuous place. Truly, Fue was the one proficient in kidō, but we shared the same reiryoku, and I was the one who felt the drain if we overextended. Sometimes I envied Fue's ability to just leave, to retreat into our inner world, but I knew that having a physical body, without depending on someone else to sustain you, was what she envied me for.

Do you ever wish we could trade? I just sat there, soaking up the sunlight, not really thinking anything. There was silence between us for a few minutes, then Fue interrupted my semi-trance.

Yaiba. I tilted my head towards her, eyes still closed. I could feel her presence next to me, but this wasn't her physical presence. We had decided that this state was kind of a half way point between the physical world and our inner world. I could see her, could affect her, and she could affect me, but that was the limit. She couldn't interact with anyone else without me expending reiryoku, which we had come to realize was the achievement of my bankai. As we were partners, and she didn't really have anything to teach me, that was as far as we had to go. I just had to let a steady stream of reiryoku flow into her, and she materialized. She was able to cast her own kidō, and I could concentrate on fighting hand to hand, with my advanced shunpō.

Yaiba. she said again. I pulled myself back to the present, and opened my eyes. She was crouched next to me, with a worried look on her face. Are you okay? Will you be able to do this?

I grinned at her, feeling tired but not out. Of course I will. I just need to introduce you to them, and then I can take a break. I don't think we will be leaving soon, but we do have to try this separation thing out. You will go to the real world with them, while I stay here. If I try to get myself assigned to a district in the Human world so soon after their defection, someone will make a connection. I think it would be best if you don't answer iany/i questions about our past.I could see she understood by the look on her face.

But how will I explain my talent at kidō? I certainly don't look like a Shinigami! I nodded, letting my eyes fall closed again.

Urahara was once head of the Detention Squad. He knows that you couldn't be an ex-Shinigami. But Tsukabishi-san couldn't have known all the members of the Kidō Corps, right? I think your lack of talent with shunpō may work in our favor. I nodded to myself. I think that might work. Try to cultivate a 'quiet type' reputation? That way if Tsukabishi-san asks you any questions, you can just bow and stay quiet… I gazed up at Fue, and saw she didn't like this plan. She was the more outgoing of the two of us, and we both knew she probably wouldn't be able to keep her mouth shut for long. What the hell, I sighed. We'll say…you're my twin sister. We practically are, anyways. I taught you kidō, because you weren't interested in joining any part of the military forces of Seireitei, but had a high level of reiryoku, so I had to teach you how to control it. I haven't met any twins, but hopefully that would explain why our reiatsu is so similar. She sat down next to me with a sigh, swinging her legs over the ledge.

I guess that's as good as anything. Hopefully they won't ask a lot of questions.

I snorted softly. This is Urahara we're talking about. The questions will come eventually. Ready? This time she nodded, closing her eyes and falling still.

I drew in a breath and relaxed myself. I entered a half-trance, approaching the state known as Jinzen, that let me drawn on the connection between Fue and I at a deeper level. I didn't enter Jinzen completely, as I didn't really want to enter our inner world, but I had developed this half-state solely in order to perform bankai. I was able to do it faster in the heat of battle, but that drained my reiryoku much faster. When I did it this way, I created a bond that was steadier, unwavering. I envisioned myself sitting on that ledge. I saw Fue's image overlaid on my own, and I pulled power from my spirit to weave a chain of reiryoku between us. As the rope became stronger, more solid, I saw Fue start to split from me, sliding to my right, the chains of the sixty-third bakudō wrapped around her hand. As I completed our bond, I felt it snap into place, and I felt a familiar emptiness inside me. I gasped a little.

"Zanpakutō and wielder really are not meant to be split." I felt – truly felt – Fue's hand on my shoulder. I scrubbed my face vigorously with both hands, then levered myself up. I reached down to give Fue a hand up and staggered, just a little. She ignored my proffered hand and stood up on her own, giving me a little shake.

"Are you truly sure you want to do this?" She asked me, worry obvious on her face. I nodded, breathing deeply.

"This is the only way. It will only be until Urahara finds a permanent solution," I told her, and myself.

We walked back into the cavern, side by side. I snuck a look at Fue, and sighed. She was very self-possessed, comfortable in her skin, but she had a very…individual sense of fashion. "You know, we're almost complete opposites." She looked at me in confusion, then down at her own outfit.

She giggled softly. "I guess we are." We both had black hair, were the same height, and had about the same facial structure, but beyond that the similarities ended. Where I had chin-length hair, with long bangs and a braid reaching from the base of my skull to just above my ankles, Fue had short shaggy hair with a long lock of hair on either side of her face. I had deep blue eyes while she had blood red, and our outfits were completely different.

At this point, we had rejoined the ex-captains. Urahara gave Tsukabishi a nod, and turned to us. "Fue, I presume?" At her nod, he continued. "Can you give Tessai a hand? He will have to hold the barriers while I perform the modifications. He could probably use the help." She nodded, and let go of the chains attached to Hollow Amaya. One of the three chains completely disappeared, while the other two merged, binding the monster's tail to its neck. The two sets of Bakudō #61, the Six Rods Prison of Light, were supposed to immobilize the target immediately, but this hollow was powerful enough that it had continued to struggle feebly. We had been forced to use the sixty-third bakudō, Sajo Sabuku, to control its head and scythe-like tail, as well as transport it. She left it there and walked over to Tsukabishi, kneeling down next to him. As they began to converse in low tones, Urahara spoke to me.

"Do you know the real reason for my doubt about your Amaya?"

I sighed and sat down abruptly. I was feeling drained, and my reiryoku wasn't replenishing fast. I would have to meditate soon, if Fue was going to help hold high level barriers. "From the looks of them," I responded dully, nodding my head towards the pile of bodies, "you did something to them that halted the process." I tilted my head up questioningly, closing my eyes.

"Yes," he said. "I used the…I used a device that stabilized them."

I noticed his reluctance to give me information. "You've done experiments, about hollowfication, haven't you?" I didn't wait for his denial. "I don't care. Whatever you did worked. Maybe it didn't turn them back, but it gave them a chance. What you doubt about Amaya is that she wasn't stabilized in time." I had thought about this already. "You think that there isn't enough of Amaya left to be able to bring her back. You think that even if we could bring her back, if we can't find a way to give them back control, she won't be Amaya anymore." I looked up at him. He had an uncomfortable look on his face.

"Well…yes. That's pretty much it."

I looked over at the bound hollow. "But she's in there, keeping it from killing. I know her. If she hasn't given in yet, she won't. She wouldn't want bloodshed, period. She's a healer. If we bring her back, she will have control. It – the hollow – might always be with her, but she'll be able to control it. She'll be able to do the good she lives for." I leaned forward and put my head in my hands, not wanting to talk about it anymore. This was the only solution we had been able to come up with, and I didn't think Urahara would be able to talk me out of it.

"Are you sure you want to do this? I can't guarantee that we will be able to do anything for her. I…I have vowed that I would return them to their former state, but I'm just not sure I will be able to do the same for her. I can tell this is taking a lot out of you."

I raised my head. I didn't want him to make the connection between Fue's use of reiryoku and my lethargy, but there was a limit to my stamina. "I'm fine. You made a vow; well, I have too. Like I said, I won't give up on her." I stood up slowly. "I need to go meditate. My reserves are lower than I thought." I pulled some emergency rations out of a pouch on my waist. I tore a chunk off, then offered some to Urahara. After all, he had been under just as much stress, if not more. He shook his head, then wandered over to Shihōin, leaving me to myself.

I snuck a look at Fue. She was kneeling next to the kidō captain, her skirt pooled around her. She was wearing a black and red corset, with long, red bell sleeves attached to it, and a black split skirt with red designs on it. The skirt was split rather high on the thigh, and you could see her thigh high, black boots underneath it. I wouldn't have been caught dead in the get up, but she pulled it off, in a graceful, elegant way. I closed my eyes, crossed my legs, and relaxed my spine. If I didn't build up enough reiryoku in time, we could be in a lot of trouble. It helped that much of my power was sealed inside my zanpakutō with Fue, but we had both been tapping into reserves lately, and it wasn't as if she could meditate right now. She would be okay with her own store for a while, but if it took too long, she would have to pull reiryoku from me through our bond.

I let my mind go blank, secure in the knowledge that I had done all that I could for the time being. I envisioned a well in my mind, one that was almost completely empty, and watched as water began to trickle down the sides of the well, replenishing it slowly. I then imagined a hose leading from the well to a bucket outside on the ground, and primed the hose so that the vacuum would draw water into the bucket. This was how I controlled my reiryoku, and also how I funneled most of it into Fue and my zanpakutō in order to keep others from noticing my true level of reiatsu. At this point, it was flowing into Fue as fast as it was appearing, but that was ok with me, as long as I didn't need to do anything involving reiryoku.

Dimly I sensed the barriers go up, as well as the spikes of reiatsu and the strange smells and explosions coming from Urahara's tinkering with the gigai. I let it wash over me, not really paying attention. At this point I wasn't sure if Urahara planned to keep Amaya and I around after he was finished, so I didn't really know if he was making one for each of us, but I wasn't truly worried. _We'll jump that hurdle when we get to it. _

….

A/N: I am writing this for my sister and I, so if you decide to review, please make it about my writing style and some of the ways I view reiryoku vs. reiatsu and the ways zanpakutō spirits behave, not the fact that I have a character or two running around that isn't cannon. Does anyone truly know how many Shinigami there are? Think of this as revealing a few that were never touched on in the series. This is all I have written as of 9/25/2010, but my sister and I have been bouncing ideas around, and I may hop back on the wagon soon. Ta ta for now!


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